Okay, I'm almost ready to hit the order button and have a couple questions. First, here's the system as it stands (of course, feel free to criticize or recommend - most (all) is from recommendations from this board).

Right now all I'm really playing is WoW, which has minimal video requirements. I'm looking forward to SC2, but won't play most upcoming games that others are looking forward to. So, should I get the 8800GTS 320 now or should I get a 7600GT to hold me over until the 9's come out. Is it worth waiting? Or should I just get the 8800 now, knowing that it will probably hold me just fine for a couple years? If I get the 8800 now, I won't upgrade for at least 18 months.

Also, small deal, but for an HSF should I get the AC7, Zalman 9500, or the Tuniq. Really, from a budget perspective, there're all close enough to the same to count. Is the Tuniq overkill for a C2D, and too big to be worth the trouble? Is the AC7 better than the Zalman9500? The AC7 looks very "unfinished" which makes me worry about quality. The side of my case is all fans (4x120), so I really don't care about looks inside the case. I'm worried that the Tuniq won't fit because of the side case fans - even though it's a full case, so it's pretty roomy.

Anyway, thanks for your input, and for all your guidance getting to this point. Hopefully, I can pull the trigger this week and be assembling next week - then I'll have all new questions!

A Tuniq is not needed for a dual core. Like mgcook said, the AF7 Pro will do just fine.

The 88800GTS will hold you for a while. But if you were considering a 9 series, hold out for that, because it will last you a bit longer. Then again if you got an 8800GTS, in 18 months, there will be something better than the 9 series. So consider that.

Thanks (to both) for your responses. I guess it's a bit of a toss up on the video card. The 8800 supports DirectX 10, so I'm thinking I should go ahead and just get it now.

So, is the AF7 better than the Zalman 9500? b1gapl, I notice from your sig that you have/had the Zalman on your old system - is the AF7 better than the Zalman?

The AF7 seems very popular, but in the pictures you can see the sodder (sp) around the heatpipes around the base, and the heat pipes look like they are just crimped off on top. It looks very rough. Like I said, I really don't care too much about looks since I don't have a side window, but it makes me worry about the quality.

Yes, I do have the CNPS9500, and it has worked very well for me. But I think the AF7 Pro is slightly better, because it's thermal pad is the MX-1, which is better than most thermal pastes, including the AS5.

From most people's comments about the AF7 Pro, it has done very well for them. So I'm assuming the quality is good. And the AF7 Pro, is about half the price of the CNPS9500.

Plus with your case you shouldn't have to worry too much about airflow. I mean with those four side fans things will stay pretty cool regardless of which cpu cooler you get. Oh and you might want to get an 80mm fan for the bottom if you want to OC your GFX high. IDK my gfx run relatively hot for the airflow the case should have.

Yes, I had been toying around with the idea of mod'ing the case to include a bottom exhaust... I'm not sure I'm that confident, though. This is my first build (replacing a Dell 4600 - yikes), so mod'ing a case may be a little beyond my comfort level for now. We'll see... I do have a Dremel...

I'd say just go for the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. Yes, it does look unfinished. But! with the MX-1 thermal paste pad, it's really worth it. You can get one for only $25 at SVC. For your VGA, I would say just go with the 8800GTS 320mb for now. In 18 months a bunch of better VGA's will come out!

Yes, I had been toying around with the idea of mod'ing the case to include a bottom exhaust... I'm not sure I'm that confident, though. This is my first build (replacing a Dell 4600 - yikes), so mod'ing a case may be a little beyond my comfort level for now. We'll see... I do have a Dremel...

I'd say just go for the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. Yes, it does look unfinished. But! with the MX-1 thermal paste pad, it's really worth it. You can get one for only $25 at SVC. For your VGA, I would say just go with the 8800GTS 320mb for now. In 18 months a bunch of better VGA's will come out!